Silver Lake neighborhood council member and drag performer Maebe Pudlo is officially jumping into one of Los Angeles' busiest political brawls, filing to run for California State Senate in District 26. Her name will appear on the June 2 primary ballot, putting her in the mix with several Democrats vying to replace the district’s outgoing senator. With the primary fewer than four weeks away, Pudlo’s late-breaking move adds a surprise twist to an already crowded race.
Pudlo is listed on the official roster of qualified candidates for the June 2 primary, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk and the California Secretary of State. Both sets of filings list a campaign website and contact email under the name "Maebe Pudlo," formally placing her in the race. The top two finishers in June, regardless of party, will advance to the November general election.
Who Is Maebe Pudlo?
Pudlo, who also performs under the stage name Maebe A. Girl, serves as treasurer and an at-large representative on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, where she has backed LGBTQ-focused resolutions and worked on neighborhood housing issues. Her campaign is pitching a firmly progressive platform, from single-payer health care and housing for all to criminal justice changes and a call to abolish ICE, and is wrapped in the slogan "Keep Fascism Out of California," according to the Maebe Pudlo campaign website. Campaign materials highlight her local organizing and collaborations with homeless service organizations.
Inside the 26th District Race
The 26th District spans parts of central and northeast Los Angeles and is considered a safely Democratic seat, CalMatters notes in its 2026 voter guide. Pudlo will share the ballot with several Democrats, including former Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, Sara Rascón, Juan Camacho, and Paul A. Bowers, along with Republicans Claudia Agraz and Sang "Sam Shin" Masog. The race opened up after Sen. María Elena Durazo opted to run for Los Angeles County supervisor earlier this year, a move reported by NBC Los Angeles.
Previous Campaigns And What A Win Would Mean
Pudlo is no stranger to higher-office bids, using drag shows and grassroots organizing to build name recognition in prior campaigns. She emerged from a crowded primary field in 2022, according to the Los Angeles Times, and later drew more than 60,000 votes in another contest noted by LA Public Press. If she wins this time, Pudlo would be one of the first drag performers and among the relatively few openly trans or nonbinary lawmakers to serve at the statewide level in the United States, a milestone that local outlets have pointed to as politically and culturally significant. That symbolic potential has helped keep volunteers and donors engaged even as analysts describe her as an underdog against better-funded campaigns.
FOX 11 Los Angeles aired a brief profile of Pudlo on May 4, in which she outlined her vision for the district. Her campaign says it plans to keep organizing through the final stretch before the June 2 primary. As the race barrels toward next month’s vote, the official candidate lists from election authorities remain the definitive word on who will appear on the ballot.
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